GUATEMALA. 



373 



connection with Arctic explorations. In early 

 life Moses went to New York, and entered the 

 firm of Fish, Grinnell & Co., dealers in whale oil. 

 Two of his brothers were partners in this firm, 

 whose name was changed, in 1828, to Grin- 

 nell, Minturn & Co., under which title it has be- 

 come extensively known as one of the chief 

 mercantile houses in the country. In 1838 Mr. 

 Grinnell was elected to Congress by the Whigs, 

 but at the next election he was defeated. He now 

 gave his attention exclusively to his extensive 

 business. In 1856 he was a presidential elector 

 on the Kepublican ticket. In 1869 he was ap- 

 pointed Collector of New York, in which posi- 

 tion he was succeeded by Thomas Murphy, in 

 1870. Mr. Grinnell was one of the most pub- 

 lic-spirited and respected citizens of New York. 

 He became President of the Phoenix Bank in 

 1838, and continued one of its directors till his 

 death. He became President of the Chamber 

 of Commerce in 1843, and held the position for 

 several years. He was a member of the original 

 Central Park Commission, and from 1860 to 

 1865 was one of the Commissioners of Charities 

 and Correction. During the war he contributed 

 liberally in time and money to the Union cause, 

 and was an active member of the Union Defense 

 Committee. 



GUATEMALA (REPUBLIOA DE GUATEMALA), 

 one of the five independent States of Central 

 America, extending from 13 50' to 18 15' 

 north latitude, and from 88 14' to 93 12' 

 west longitude. It is bounded on the north 

 by the Mexican State of Chiapas ; on the east 

 by British Honduras and the Caribbean Sea ; 

 on t&e" south by the republics of Honduras and 

 San Salvador; and on the southwest by the 

 Pacific Ocean. 



(For the territorial division of the country, 

 and statistics concerning area, population, etc., 

 reference may be made to the ANNUAL CYCLO- 

 PAEDIA for 1875.) 



The President of the Republic is Lieutenant- 

 General Rufino Barrios (elected May 7, 1873). 



The cabinet is composed of the following 

 members: Minister of the Interior and of 

 Public "Works, Sefior Don J. Barbarena; Min- 

 ister of Finance and Public Credit, Sefior Don 

 Jos6 Antonio Salazar; Minister of War, Sefior 

 Don J. M. Barrimdia; Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs and of Public Instruction, Sefior Dr. 

 Don Lorenzo Montufar. 



The United States Minister to Guatemala 

 (and for all five Central American States) is G. 

 Williamson. 



The most recent official returns concerning 

 the national revenue are those given in the 

 ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1875. 



As to the national debt set down, on Janu- 

 'ary 1, 1875, at: 



Home debt... 11.342,410 



foreign debt 2,654,904 



Total indebtedness $8,877,8S4 



" the Republic is unencumbered," said a na- 

 tive writer, in May, 1877 ; " it has less debt than 



any other country in the world in proportion 

 to its inhabitants and its riches. Supposing 

 the debt, including all late negotiations, to 

 amount to $5,000,000, it would be equal to $4 

 for each inhabitant, a sum which does not 

 amount to two years' expenditures, or two 

 years' estimates : Costa Rica owes $107 for 

 each inhabitant, and Honduras $108. It is, 

 therefore, not without good reason that we 

 consider Guatemala is free from debt, or rather 

 that her debt is so insignificant as not to be 

 worth mentioning." 



But a short time before the foregoing re- 

 marks were penned, the subjoined statement 

 came to light in a British financial journal : 



The arrangement made by the Council in 1872 

 for the payment, in installments, of the two coupons 

 due in that year, has worked satisfactorily. The 

 final settlement was effected in April, 1876, the bond- 

 holders receiving 6s. 4d. per cent, in excess of the 

 par value of the coupons. 



The coupons, due in October, 1875, and April, 

 1876, fell also in arrear, owing to the war with a 

 neighboring republic. Througli the exertion of Sir 

 Henry Scholfield, Her Majesty's Charg6 d' Affaires, 

 the agent of the bondholders in Guatemala, payment 

 of these arrear coupons has been arranged by means 

 of Treasury bonds Dearing 6 per cent, interest, and 

 payable at twelve months from the above dates re- 

 spectively. 



With reference to the service of the debt from Oc- 

 tober, 1876, the Government has undertaken to pay 

 on November 1 and December 1, 1876, and January 

 1, 1877, $10,000 each month ; on February 1st and 

 March 1st, $15,000 ; and, subsequently, at least $20- 

 000 per month. Two payments of $10,000 each have 

 been received by Sir Henry Scholfleld. 



The month of May, 1877, brought forth two 

 decrees, one for the purpose of permanently 

 increasing the national revenue,* the other 

 to afford immediate relief necessitated by ex- 

 traordinary outlays. It has been regarded as 

 regrettable that at a time when the country is 

 in the enjoyment of undisturbed peace, General 

 Barrios should resort to such extreme meas- 

 ures as oppressive imposts and a forced loan : 

 the import duties were already little short of 

 prohibitory, such in the case of a number of 

 articles as to double the invoice cost, and being 

 in a few instances upward of 200 per cent. 

 Here follow translations of the decrees re- 

 ferred to : 



I, J. Rufino Barrios, General of Division and Presi- 

 dent of the Republic of Guatemala, considering that 

 the public income ought to increase in proportion to 

 the necessities of the country, and that it is fitting 

 to the national credit to appoint new funds for the 

 extinction of the bonds of the converted debt, there- 

 by favoring the holders of those bonds, in use of 

 the faculties with which I am invested, decree : 



ARTICLE 1. From the 1st of July next, the admin- 

 istrations of taxes will collect 50 per cent, more than 

 is paid at present on every marizana of sugar-cane. 



ART. 2. The duties which are collected at present 

 in the custom-houses, both maritime and on the 

 frontier, are raised 25 per cent* on foreign merchan- 

 dise. 



ART. 8. The payment of the augmentation of 25 

 per cent, hereby established shall be made in the 

 following manner : Counting ten days from this date 



* The revenue rarely exceeds $2,600,000 ; the expenditure ' 

 in 1S75 was $2,542,600." 



